Albert Cossery

Albert Cossery (1913–2008) was an Egyptian-French writer born in Cairo who spent most of his adult life in Paris, living for decades in the same Saint-Germain-des-Prés hotel room. Writing in French about Egyptian life, Cossery produced a small, distinctive body of fiction populated by idlers, beggars, thieves, petty officials, and philosophical anti-heroes who resist work, ambition, and the structures of power through indolence, laughter, and refusal. Henry Miller was among his earliest champions in the English-speaking world.

Publications collected here document Cossery's work and its circulation in translation, including editions published by City Lights Books and other small presses through which his fiction reached countercultural and literary readerships outside Egypt and France.

  • Original 1968 Albert Cossery, Men God Forgot, City Lights Books, San Francisco, second printing. Cream softcover with 'men God forgot' in large bold lowercase serif type at top and 'cossery' at foot, with a black-and-white close-up photograph of a young man's face — dark eyes, strong features, slightly downward gaze — filling the lower two-thirds of the cover. Age toning, light rubbing, and edge wear consistent with period. Reverse of 1968 Albert Cossery, Men God Forgot, City Lights Books. Cream back cover with 'HENRY MILLER WRITES:' in bold serif type at top, followed by Miller's endorsement dated January 19, 1963: 'Am happy you are reprinting Men God Forgot. I reread it recently and still think it a gem. In a way, it's a classic...' Below: brief biography of Cossery noting he was born in Egypt in 1913 and lives in Paris, and a note that the cover photo is courtesy of New Directions. Price: $1.50 at foot.

    Albert Cossery — Men God Forgot

    Albert Cossery — Men God Forgot